Pope Francis remembered by IOC president Thomas Bach; credited for inspiring Olympic refugee team
To be eligible, athletes needed to be elite competitors in their respective sport and be refugees in their host country, recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The first refugee Olympic team included 10 athletes - six competing in athletics, two in swimming and two in judo. The team expanded to 19 athletes for the next edition of the Games, before a 37-strong team was selected for last year's event in Paris.
In 2024, the refugee Olympic team secured its first medal when Cindy Ngamba secured bronze in the women's middleweight boxing event.
Bach, who steps down in June and will be succeeded by Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry, said he was grateful for Francis' support throughout his 12-year papacy.
'His support for the peace and solidarity mission of the Olympic Games and the refugee initiatives of the IOC has been unwavering,' said Bach.
'I got to know His Holiness as a very pensive intellectual who was humble and had a very good sense of humour.
'His deep passion for sport and the Olympic values was always obvious.'
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Scoop
17 hours ago
- Scoop
‘A Win For The Squad': Young 49er Team Strikes Gold At European Champs
Press Release – Yachting New Zealand Rising Kiwi 49er team Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush struck gold at the European Championships in Greece overnight – their proudest sailing achievement to date and the first major success for New Zealand in the class since a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Menzies and Lee Rush secured overall victory in a strong men's skiff fleet with a day – and the medal race – to spare, having taken the lead on the second day of competition in Thessaloniki. They delivered a calm and consistent performance across the week, notching 11 top-10 finishes from 12 fleet races, before also placing fourth in the double-points medal race to win the regatta by a commanding 54 points. American crew Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid were second, with Uruguay's Hernán Umpierre and Fernando Diz third. New Kiwi pairing Sam Bacon and Blake McGlashan narrowly missed out on the medal race with a 13th-place overall finish – their best result since teaming up last year. Another emerging duo, Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn, placed second in the silver fleet (27th overall), while Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren finished 49th. 'It's been incredibly hot and light all week,' said Lee Rush. 'Lots of waiting, really long days – often getting off the water around 7 or 8pm. It's been pretty taxing in that sense, but we kept things simple and tried to keep doing what we were from the start of the week.' Lee Rush credited their strong position early in the regatta with giving them belief. 'We had a really good second day that put us in the lead, but there was still all of finals racing and the medal race to go, and the points were tight. At that stage, we weren't even sure we'd make the medal race, let alone the podium or a win. But we followed that up with another solid day, and it started to feel possible.' One key improvement, he said, was their starting. 'Our starts have really come along – we've been working hard on it. We've only been competing overseas for the last two years, and it takes time to get comfortable with it [starting] at this level.' Menzies and Lee Rush teamed up in 2021 and found success quickly, finishing third in the 29er at the 2022 youth sailing world championships, followed by gold in the 49erFX at the junior world championships. But the move to the full 49er hasn't been without its challenges. Gaining the necessary weight to stay competitive in stronger breeze has been the biggest hurdle, Lee Rush admits. 'It's been our top priority for a few years now. We're getting there, but it's a long-term thing. It takes time to adjust to the 49er – the racing, the starting, just doing regattas and building experience.' They've been steadily climbing the ranks over the past year. They finished fourth at last year's junior world championships, just days before Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie took 49er silver at the Paris Games. In the Olympic medallists' absence, Menzies and Lee Rush won the 2025 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland in February, placed ninth at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma in April, and came 13th at French Olympic Week in Hyères a fortnight later. Their progress owes a lot to the depth and quality of the New Zealand 49er squad, which includes Bacon and McGlashan, Coutts and Gunn, and Kayrouz and McLaren. 'We had a really solid training block back home in the New Zealand summer. There are consistently five high-level boats pushing each other, all working towards the same goal. Not many countries have that kind of depth, and being part of a squad like this makes a huge difference,' he said. 'We're all close. We train together, travel together, stay together overseas. That bond helps, especially when we're pushing each other at such a high level, and it's a big part of why we've got to this point.' Winning the European championships is unquestionably a career highlight. 'Seb's had a lot of success in the 420, but for me, this is definitely number one, and I think he'd put it pretty high up there, too. It's a senior class. It's not a world championship, but it's still a massive win, and we didn't expect to be winning an event like this so soon in our 49er campaign.' The pair have their sights set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, but know there's a long road ahead. 'It's a great result; to be able to show that we can perform against other top-level boats and that we can put together a regatta across a full week and keep ourselves consistent and calm under pressure. But it's still just one regatta, and we have a lot to prove,' Lee Rush said. 'More importantly, it's special for the whole squad. We're all working towards the same goal – trying to get one of us to go to the Olympics and perform in 2028. This is definitely a win for the squad as much as it is for us.'
Scoop
17 hours ago
- Scoop
'A Win For The Squad': Young 49er Team Strikes Gold At European Champs
Rising Kiwi 49er team Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush struck gold at the European Championships in Greece overnight - their proudest sailing achievement to date and the first major success for New Zealand in the class since a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Menzies and Lee Rush secured overall victory in a strong men's skiff fleet with a day - and the medal race - to spare, having taken the lead on the second day of competition in Thessaloniki. They delivered a calm and consistent performance across the week, notching 11 top-10 finishes from 12 fleet races, before also placing fourth in the double-points medal race to win the regatta by a commanding 54 points. American crew Nevin Snow and Ian MacDiarmid were second, with Uruguay's Hernán Umpierre and Fernando Diz third. New Kiwi pairing Sam Bacon and Blake McGlashan narrowly missed out on the medal race with a 13th-place overall finish - their best result since teaming up last year. Another emerging duo, Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn, placed second in the silver fleet (27th overall), while Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren finished 49th. "It's been incredibly hot and light all week," said Lee Rush. "Lots of waiting, really long days - often getting off the water around 7 or 8pm. It's been pretty taxing in that sense, but we kept things simple and tried to keep doing what we were from the start of the week." Lee Rush credited their strong position early in the regatta with giving them belief. "We had a really good second day that put us in the lead, but there was still all of finals racing and the medal race to go, and the points were tight. At that stage, we weren't even sure we'd make the medal race, let alone the podium or a win. But we followed that up with another solid day, and it started to feel possible." One key improvement, he said, was their starting. "Our starts have really come along - we've been working hard on it. We've only been competing overseas for the last two years, and it takes time to get comfortable with it [starting] at this level." Menzies and Lee Rush teamed up in 2021 and found success quickly, finishing third in the 29er at the 2022 youth sailing world championships, followed by gold in the 49erFX at the junior world championships. But the move to the full 49er hasn't been without its challenges. Gaining the necessary weight to stay competitive in stronger breeze has been the biggest hurdle, Lee Rush admits. "It's been our top priority for a few years now. We're getting there, but it's a long-term thing. It takes time to adjust to the 49er - the racing, the starting, just doing regattas and building experience." They've been steadily climbing the ranks over the past year. They finished fourth at last year's junior world championships, just days before Isaac McHardie and Will McKenzie took 49er silver at the Paris Games. In the Olympic medallists' absence, Menzies and Lee Rush won the 2025 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland in February, placed ninth at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma in April, and came 13th at French Olympic Week in Hyères a fortnight later. Their progress owes a lot to the depth and quality of the New Zealand 49er squad, which includes Bacon and McGlashan, Coutts and Gunn, and Kayrouz and McLaren. "We had a really solid training block back home in the New Zealand summer. There are consistently five high-level boats pushing each other, all working towards the same goal. Not many countries have that kind of depth, and being part of a squad like this makes a huge difference," he said. "We're all close. We train together, travel together, stay together overseas. That bond helps, especially when we're pushing each other at such a high level, and it's a big part of why we've got to this point." Winning the European championships is unquestionably a career highlight. 'Seb's had a lot of success in the 420, but for me, this is definitely number one, and I think he'd put it pretty high up there, too. It's a senior class. It's not a world championship, but it's still a massive win, and we didn't expect to be winning an event like this so soon in our 49er campaign." The pair have their sights set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, but know there's a long road ahead. "It's a great result; to be able to show that we can perform against other top-level boats and that we can put together a regatta across a full week and keep ourselves consistent and calm under pressure. But it's still just one regatta, and we have a lot to prove," Lee Rush said. "More importantly, it's special for the whole squad. We're all working towards the same goal - trying to get one of us to go to the Olympics and perform in 2028. This is definitely a win for the squad as much as it is for us."
Newsroom
3 days ago
- Newsroom
Jacqueline Kennedy, the gifted Kiwi kayaker
Behind the trailblazing success of Dame Lisa Carrington and Aimee Fisher, young sprint kayakers are starting to line up to hopefully take over when their heroes eventually depart the stage. Gisborne's Jacqueline Kennedy is one of those impressive candidates and what's more, she has a brother who's looking to scale the heights alongside her. Kennedy was just four when Carrington won her first Olympic gold medal in London in 2012 and even though it was more of a general thought, the two-week sports extravaganza was something she quickly realised she wanted to be a part of. 'When I was way younger, I said to myself, I want to go to the Olympics. I didn't quite know what sport, but I wanted to go. I first thought it would be running, but now it's turning into kayaking and so whether it's 2028 or 2032 I probably won't stop until I get there and I'm sure many of the athletes I compete with are the same,' Kennedy says. Now 16, Kennedy is a year 12 student at Gisborne Girls High School. Her brother Maxwell is 17 and is head boy at Gisborne Boys. The siblings were a key part of the Poverty Bay Kayak Club squad that finished second overall out of the competing clubs at April's New Zealand Canoe Sprint Nationals, taking home five gold medals, 24 silver and 19 bronze over three days at Lake Karapiro. In the U18 category, Jacqueline won gold in the K1 200m, K1 500m and K1 1,000m individual events, while Maxwell, alongside club teammates, was victorious in the K2 500m, K4 200m and K4 500m categories. The siblings teamed up to take the Junior Mixed K2 200m title and then Jacqueline climbed in another boat alongside Hawkes Bay's Aimee Fisher to win the open K2 200m and K2 500m crowns. Kennedy and Aimee Fisher after one of their wins at Karapiro. Photo: Sally Cameron 'In all honesty I was more nervous getting in a boat with my brother than I was getting in a boat with Aimee,' Kennedy says. 'Both of them are brilliant paddlers and I knew Aimee had a lot of experience and I also wanted to do really well with my brother because that meant a lot to a lot of people. When I was in the boat with Aimee I was pretty nervous because she's extraordinary; she's the fastest K1 woman in the world [in history] and I just wanted to be able to keep up with her and make her feel like she wasn't pulling me along. I'm super grateful for the opportunity for her to bring me along and I just want to make it worth it for her. I want people to see there's two people in the boat.' Kennedy, who was named Canoe Racing New Zealand's Junior Athlete of the Year in February, represented New Zealand at the International Canoe Federation Junior World Sprint Championships in Bulgaria last year. She has also been named for 2025's edition, which takes place in Portugal in July, just before her 17th birthday. She'll also get another chance to line up for her country alongside Maxwell, who has also been chosen in the national squad. 'This sport has become a real family affair. Last year in the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup it was the first time Maxwell and I represented New Zealand together. This will be the first World Championships for us together and I'm sure there's going to be many more. It's super special for the family, we're happy we can make them all proud,' Kennedy says. Kennedy also competed in this year's Asia Pacific Sprint Cup in Japan, winning three golds on day one of a weather affected competition, in the K1, K2 and K4 500m events. The World Championship squad will have training camps in Christchurch and Auckland before departing for Europe at the start of July. They'll spend wo weeks in Europe at their final training camp before the championships start on July 23. 'I've learnt a lot from last year, what to do differently and I'm excited to truly be competitive, whereas last year it was crazy,' Kennedy says. Born on the North Shore in Auckland, Kennedy and her family moved to Gisborne when she was four, returning to where her mother grew up and where Jacqueline's grandfather lived. Paddling with brother Max at the Karapiro champs. Photo: Sally Cameron Jaqueline and Maxwell started surf lifesaving at Midway Surf Club and instantly fell in love with the environment, enjoying the waves and the paddleboarding. 'There was a couple of old boys at both Midway and Poverty Bay Kayak Club who told my brother and I we should come kayaking, so we did. My brother took to it more than me, I was into my running, but come March 2023, my brother was going to be competing in Asia Pacifics and I was going to be at Karapiro for about five days, so Mum and Dad [Sally and Craig] said I may as well get into a boat,' Kennedy says. Amazingly, it was only March 2023 when she officially started kayak training. 'Since then it's progressed very quickly, which is quite exciting but sometimes you sit back and think, 'wow, this has happened really quickly'.' Although she's now part of the Canoe Racing New Zealand (CRNZ) set-up, the Kennedys are lucky to have strong, local coaching support to assist their day-to-day development. 'What we've soon discovered is the best coaching I can get is from my coach Liz Thompson at Poverty Bay. Liz is amazing. She knows so much more than anyone I've ever met in the kayaking world. She knows what you need. For me personally, she knows when to help with my nerves, or to fire me up. She knows when I need to take back or I need to keep pushing and I know that when I'm with Liz, I'm in good hands because there's no doubt she knows what she's doing. She's an incredible coach,' Kennedy says. As she mentions, one of the work-ons for Kennedy is controlling her nerves, but she's able to take on words of wisdom from the top women in the sport, who are easy to approach and always happy to talk through their experiences to try and help. 'Aimee, Lisa, Alicia [Hoskin, two-time Olympic champion], they're all incredible ladies and I'm now beginning to see the journey that they've all gone through. When you meet them, you realise how down to earth they are and it makes you think, if they can do incredible things, so can I,' Kennedy says. Ultimately though, Kennedy's biggest inspiration is family, with parents Sally and Craig a huge influence, alongside grandparents, other family members, friends, and of course her brother. 'I think I inherited my competitiveness from both of them. My parents want the best out of my brother and I. I love my parents very, very much. They drive us to training, they make sure we have all the right gear, they travel across the world and it's hard to express how much I appreciate that. They'll never let me and Maxwell miss out on an opportunity which is something that we're both very grateful for.'
